Then there was the coach who had to step into empty shoes to try to ease a team's heartbreak and helped them achieve unprecedented success.

The three represent a memorable volleyball season that proved to be a showcase for local talent. Eighteen local teams advanced to the annual state tournament, six advanced to finals and three won state championships.

This success is reflected in the two All-Metro volleyball teams selected for 2009.

For Fontainebleau's Jessica Guttierrez, her senior season was almost a dream one. After finishing 2008 as state runners-up to St. Joseph's, the Bulldogs took off this season. They won 22 games in a row before losing to Mount Carmel on Oct. 2. They lost to Mount Carmel again in the finals of the Dominican Tournament a week later and finished the regular season 41-2 and District 4-I champions.

However, after reaching the Division I semifinals, Fontainebleau had to face its nemesis once more. And Mount Carmel won that, too.

Guttierrez, the All-Metro Player of the Year, said not reaching the ultimate goal of a state championship was disappointing, but the season was still gratifying.

"Of course we wanted to win state, " Guttierrez said. "We certainly thought we were capable of winning. And we gave them a good fight. We finished with a school record for wins (44). That's something we can be proud of. And we had a lot of fun."

Guttierrez finished the season with 334 kills, 77 aces, 21 blocks and 263 digs. In 509 serves, she had only seven errors.

The end of Northlake Christian's season was much better than the beginning.

The Wolverines, Division V state champions in 2007 and 2008, began this season with a move up in classification, the loss of their coach, the loss of a top-notch player who transferred and the loss of two other starters who quit the team. But they persevered and won their third state championship in a row.

"We just stayed solid, " said senior setter Hannah Miranda. "We came together as a team and said, 'This is not impossible.' We just wanted it really bad."

Miranda is the All-Metro Setter of the Year. She finished the season with 1,125 assists, 535 kills, 903 digs, 85 blocks and 98 aces.

Ursuline Coach Jay Jay Juan is well-known for his pointy black boots. But he had some impossibly large shoes to fill this season.

Juan was hired in the spring to replace the Lions' beloved coach, Marta Bott, who succumbed to cancer in December 2008. A proven winner in 11 seasons at Mount Carmel, including three state championships, Juan had left the city after Hurricane Katrina -- but was ready to return. And he saw an opportunity at Ursuline -- albeit a bittersweet one.

"It was not easy, " Juan said. "It was a tough task. The main thing was getting them to buy into a philosophy. And we had to change the mindset that we can compete with anybody. But I never met a group of kids that were more open and more accepting."

Juan's philosophy and his team's acceptance of it -- and him -- paid off in November when the Lions advanced to the Division III finals for the first time in history and won it. For his team's success, Juan is the Coach of the Year.